New bus garage planned in Thamesmead
Transport company Go-Ahead are proposing the construction of large bus garage in Thamesmead bringing 350 jobs.
The company aims to accommodate 139 buses on site at White Hart Avenue which is a spot this website has long advocated could be used for a bus garage.
Though in the past it always seemed perfect for Stagecoach to move their site from Plumstead to a spot a short distance east then freeing up land to rework the one-way system and allow new housebuilding in a spot close to Plumstead station, as well as near Woolwich Elizabeth line station and Woolwich Arsenal DLR and National Rail station.
The general area where Go-Ahead plan a bus garage – and where Stagecoach would ideally move – isn’t suitable for housing. It’s off White Hart Avenue which was part of a somewhat failed attempt by Greenwich Council to encourage industry to move to the area and built about 25 years ago.
Millions were spent on a new spine road and road bridge over Nathan Way though much land remains vacant. Plumstead Elizabeth line depot sits off it. The opposite land and much to the north is largely unbuilt.
In total 40 hectares are located across the area.
White Hart Avenue joins Thamesmead’s dual carriageways to the north of the site and is less liable to meet congestion than Plumstead’s one-way system.
Oddly Greenwich Council state Peabody helped fund the bridge and road. It far predates Peabody’s control of the area.
Peabody took over Tilfen Land long after construction.
Freeing up land for housing
With ample space still available along the spine road it always struck me as a logical place to also move businesses such as the car storage centre from Plumstead and Woolwich that area located in areas near excellent transport links.
In turn they could then be developed for housing/shops/amenities in mixed-use developments.
That would not only include Plumstead bus garage but also large warehouses situated mere metres from Woolwich Elizabeth line station.
The site above gives a good impression of wasted land. The building is home to Greenwich Leisure Limited. It’s certainly worth keeping but all the car parking and tarmac around it? Perfect for mixed-use redevelopment sympathetically taking into account the historic building.
If redeveloped all these sites could also still enable the much sought after second station entrance.
In the above image the area in purple is all low rise sheds close to the station and it extends some way on land not covered by the image. Car parking is also extensive in places.
As of yet no housing is proposed across here as it’s Strategic Industrial Land, yet in reality the “industry” usage is often nothing of the sort, with car showrooms and car storage sites alongside business such as gyms.
Gyms could be accommodated in mixed-use developments alongside housing whilst dozens of cars being stored seconds from the Elizabeth line in a housing shortage is an absolute waste, particularly in the context of acres of Strategic Industrial Land sitting vacant for 25 years nearby in Thamesmead on land not suitable for housing.
To make that happen – and improve transport accessibility at Woolwich station – the land near Woolwich station land needs to lose it SIL status.
If this government, Mayor and council are serious about new housing around transport it’s a good solution all round. No loss of industry would be seen as unused SIL land in Thamesmead is occupied AND we get new homes.
In terms of costs, industry and businesses could be assisted with a move to the White Hart Triangle in Thamesmead.
Possible?
Will it happen? It hasn’t for 25 years. While Greenwich and TfL spend huge amounts of time on the flawed DLR plan for Thamesmead, readily available solutions to improve housebuilding nearby are ignored.
This latest news on the bus garage is welcome in bringing part of the long vacant site into use but much still remains empty. If Stagecoach could be tempted to also move alongside this Go-Ahead proposal in addition to businesses near Woolwich station there could be some resulting huge gains to Plumstead and Woolwich with new homes, shops and vastly improved public spaces linking to the town centre and stations.
And no loss of business, as they fill up an industrial site 25 years in the making. Win win.
If the land is not suitable for housing then it will make sense to build a new bus garage with all the infrastructure installed For the Go Ahead London to charge and maintenance their fleet of electric buses.
Will this be a new bus garage or will we see other Go Ahead London bus garages close like Bexleyheath or Morden Whaf so new housing could possibly be built on these sites in the future?
Depends if they are owned or leased sites. No one wants to sell large parcels of land in London without inflated prices. Many landowners won’t offer leases over 5 years (10 at a push) which isn’t enough to justify the millions spent on installing the electrical infrastructure and digging up roads for thicker cables.
They will move the current garage at Morden Wharf (Greenwich) here, as the Morden Wharf is being re-developed.
I thought they already used the place as a bus garage? Same street, red buses are already filling up a big lot. Perhaps they’re thinking of moving it to a bigger lot on the same street 🤷🏾♀️
It takes forever for bus garages to install new infrastructure for electric charging points in to bus garages. It causes major issues with in the garages has space has to be found for the charging points to be installed. Meaning it is difficult to find space for existing buses to park.
Better for the infrastructure to be put in place first before the new garage opens.It will make operating the new bus garage
easier for staff..
It might mean negotiating a longer lease with the landlord or trying to purchase the site to make the garage more permanent.
As with major new developments under construction or planned for Thamesmead and across the Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley providing tbousands of new homes The bus garage will be required for many many more years to come.
What excellent plan for bus garage and room for cleaning etc and more job, s,, and definitely nice way to start in the new year
Excellent use of the site and as others have stated could be even better if the Stagecoach depot was consolidated into it.
The draft Greenwich Local plan allocates land north of the Stagecoach depot for housing but (at least that I can see) doesn’t mention the depot itself or the industrial buildings between it and Woolwich station.
Personally I think there is a massive opportunity to deck over the depot, take out the terrace east of the Mosque and create a walkable town centre and public square linking Plumstead station to the Berkeley site going north, and to Woolwich station going west. This has been done in other areas of London while keeping light industrial use at lower levels, and the sunken nature of the Pettman Crescent site could be ideal for this.
You’ll be in for a surprise.
TFL has published the Barnham Road Construction to open it as a bus only road.
As a resident of Barnham Drive this is a great idea it will stop parents parking and blocking off our road when they drop their children off at Discovery school it is dangerous as well and they stop the 380 bus from getting through Battery Rd,also very unhealthy all those car fumes.
Thamesmead does need the DLR extension so that people who live in Thamesmead can commute into Central London much easier and it will help boost more opportunities for Thamesmead and the surrounding area.